#analysispost

Abuela Alma Madrigal: The Matriarch of the Madrigal family and mother of Pepa, Bruno, and Julieta. Rewatching Encanto a second time it is hard for me to like her and root for her. She has allowed the village to shame Bruno and has since passed on that shame to Mirabel. She has made both her son and granddaughter not feel good enough to be a part of their family. This greatly angers me as someone who has felt like an outsider growing up and not feeling accept by the community I lived in. I am here today, however, to try and delve deep into the psyche of Abuela and what has caused her to behave in this way.

1. Abuela's Hyper-vigilance

This is my family A perfect constellation

So many stars and everybody gets to shine

Whoa! But let's be clear, Abuela runs this show, whoa

She led us here so many years ago, whoa

Mirabel sings this line in the opening song of the movie "Family Madrigal". I have a lot to say about this song in regards to Mirabel but that'll be for Part 3 of this series. This song immediately establishes Abuela as the matriarch of the family. As a side comment to this lets look at this frame from the song.

Per the rules of cinema a 1-point shot like this establishes a feeling of power and importance. She IS the family Madrigal. Having a matriarch in a family isn't all that common. The matriarch of my family was my grandmother before she died. She was the center and the glue that kept my family together. So Abuela being a matriarch isn't the most substantial thing in the world. But the way she uses and abuses her stance as the matriarch is was is troubling. And it's due to her own trauma.

The Common Reactions to Trauma

According to Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE) as posted on Oxnardclinicalpsych.com, there are 10 common reactions to trauma (I recommend reading the article because it is pretty informative) but I'll quickly state the reactions that I see in Abuela:

Anxiety and fear

Re-experiencing of the trauma

Increased vigilance

Avoidance (this can be seen with the whole family quite frankly)

Grief and depression

Lack of concern and empathy for others

I see Abuela as a hyper vigilant and anxious person to the point of hyper-fixation. I say this because during "Family Madrigal" Abuela sings this line:

We swear to always

Help those around us

And earn the miracle

That somehow found us

The town keeps growing

The world keeps turning

But work and dedication will keep the miracle burning

And each new generation must keep the miracle burning

When I first watched Encanto I was thinking to myself why are the Madrigals so community oriented? This could greatly be a cultural thing seeing that this was set sometime in the early 1900's. I feel like most societies were very much community oriented. But I feel like with Abuela she does it as an offering to the miracle. As a thank you to the miracle she encourages her family to use their gifts for good. But this line in the song made me start to wonder if this is merely just a sign of her over vigilance. She has dedicated her life to keeping the candle burning in order to keep her home alive and her world in order. She has passed on the burden of this candle to her children, who in turn have passed this down to their children. The candle is a miracle, but is also a constant reminder of the trauma Abuela has gone through in her life. And unknowingly she has passed this down onto the next generation.

2. Abuela's Lack of Empathy

Almost every line she states in this movie is focused on casita and Encanto. Rarely is she concerned about the emotional and physical well-being of those around her. Just the miracle.

We mainly see this with Isabela:

This scene goes by very quickly but we hear Abuela and Isabela talking about the arranged marriage

Abuela: Such a perfect match

Isabela: So perfect

Abuela: So good for Encanto

Never is Abuela thinking "This is so good for Isabel!" Everything she does is for the greater good of Encanto. This is probably due to the fact just a scene before Dolores revealed that Mariano wants 5 kids, which feeds into her need to keep the Madrigal bloodline going.

We see this disregard for others again when Mirabel goes missing after finding Bruno and after the cracks in the walls start to form. Abuela is having a heated argument with Augustin about why he didn't tell her about the vision.

Abuela: Why didn’t you tell me about the vision?! Think of the family!

Augustin: I was thinking of my daughter!

Julieta: Mama you’ve always been hard on Mirabel

Abuela: Look around. We must protect our home.

Again a blatant disregard for her grand daughter's well-being. Abuela is reacting so much to the loss of her home and her husband that she can't even recognize and acknowledge the thoughts and feelings of the people around her. All she can think about is her home and the fear of loss.

And then finally it happens.

3. Abuela's Loss

You can see the fear and sadness on her face. She's reliving her trauma all over again. The thing she feared most has happened because she held onto it so tightly. She wanted to feel so safe and so protected from the world she didn't even realize she was hurting her loved ones.

By the end of the movie she regrets her actions and does see the error of her ways. I noticed that Abuela always romanticized her trauma as well. The way the story of Abuelo Pedro's sacrifice was told at the beginning of the movie is drastically different.

The romanticized version:

The hard-cold truth:

Noticed that in the romanticized retelling of her story her expression isn't NEARLY as broad. It's like any typical tragic story Disney would tell where we are told the pain of loss but we don't actually feel it/see it. When the story is flashed back again towards the end of the movie we finally see Abuela's true emotions. I believe this is because Abuela had finally reached a point of not being able to mask her emotions anymore. The whole family had been taught by her to ignore their thoughts and feelings and look "perfect" for their community and in return in front of each other.

Mirabel is really the catalyst in the beginning of Abuela's journey of self-healing which we hope will translate to her being more empathetic with her family but I feel like these types of things take time. It'll probably be a hard habit to break.

So here it is, another analysis post. A pal insisted I make one. I happened to agree so here I go. This is an analysis of Amity’s relationships with others, plus her relationship with Luz as well:

Amity and her Relationship with Others and Luz

We already know that Amity is gay for Luz. That’s about as obvious as we can get. However, while rewatching Lost in Language because I wanted to memorize everyone’s speaking patterns, I discovered some things.

For starters, for a while, it seemed like Amity hated Luz. This was true and here’s why:

In this screenshot from Lost in Language, we see that Amity’s secret hideout is unlocked by a book called “The Lone Witch and Secret Room” which makes sense. It’s a key to a secret room. However, the Lone Witch part already implies that she has no real friends, right? She has Boscha, sure, but we already know from Understanding Willow that she thinks she’s mean and not a good friend. In the later episodes of S1, she’s seen warning Boscha of leaving her behind or cutting off their friendship with one another.

Already, this is implying that Amity feels alone. Her having this secret room also shows that she only really feels safe and secure and listened to in the library. In the secret room, she has a sense of safety. Nobody knows where she is, she can escape from her abusive household, overall, she’s hidden and safe from the prying eyes of her disapproving parents and family.

In this screenshot, we see Amity reading a book to a group of young children. If you know anything about young children and their attachment to older figures that seem respectful, Amity would easily become a source of comfort and be attached to by them. We can also see this when one of the children goes “Thank you, Miss Amity” and Amity gets a tender look and pats him on the head. This is already a sign that she appreciates these children.

Why? The children, who she has wide eyes, similar to how they looked in her youth, are showing her unconditional love, something she never had in her household. Her siblings always picked on her or showed her restricted or dishonest affection. Her parents were obviously abusive as we saw in Understanding Willow. Now, and this is important.

Later on in the episode, Luz and Amity are stuck together when Otobin sews them into the book. After she goes “We’re gonna be stuck together forever.” she has a look on her face:

This one reads more to me as “Great. I’m stuck with someone who wants to hurt and annoy me for the rest of my life.” This is seen in the way her eyebrows aren’t quite furrowed but they’re almost sad looking. Up until the part where Luz saves them, she thinks Luz just wants to antagonize her as everyone else does. So, when Luz saves her or at least attempts to, she gets this expression:

This is a sign of tenderness. She’s smiling, something we’ve never seen her do in a genuinely kind way before up until this moment. Her eyes say “Hey. This person is really funny/dorky. Maybe she isn’t that bad to be around after all.” and her expressions start to change after this episode.

When she’s dismissing Otobin, her expression looks like this:

This reads to me as her being upset that her “Only friend” is gone. She has nobody again that she can consider a friend once again.

After Lost in Language, her eyes start being wider and more like her child self when she’s around Luz. 

Her eyes around Willow in her youth.

You can tell that something’s changed. She feels safer, more comfortable around her. Instead of afraid and on guard, constantly acting tough and withdrawn through her lidded/narrowed eyes, she looks friendly and open again. Her looks toward Luz, even when she’s talking to her about being the captain of the Grudgby team in Wing It Like Witches, are still tender and happy despite the lidded/seemingly narrowed eyes. After Lost in Language, she finally has somebody she can count on, feel safe around, be happy with. She doesn’t have to be anybody but herself around Luz. I think this is also why she developed such a strong crush on her. When she was friends with Willow, she didn’t know that Willow was somehow “inferior” to her and her family until her parents made her stick around Boscha. I firmly believe she started donning that expression after having complained a bit too many times about being friends with her.

So, in the end. When she’s around Luz, she feels comfortable, safe, happy. She finally has somebody who can be depended on and her safe space. She doesn’t have to worry (Yet) about somebody taking away someone that feels safe and comfortable to be around. She can finally open her eyes, smile big, dedicate and love somebody else, something she never had before she met Luz and ever since losing Willow as a friend.

Way more picture examples of Amity’s eyes and expressions around Luz:

(Going from least to most bad) Let's start:

Ok, I see what they were going with here. The whole Easter type holiday thing but it just doesn't work for me. Like there's a lot of pink and a rabbit in a egg just hanging in the hand, looking like its about to fall right off, coupled with the flat bow and dress are all just a bit dry. Don't get me wrong, owning any hello kitty plush is a privilege not a right. I treat all that I own with care and respect but I still wonder about the idea and passion put into designing and creating such dolls. It is still a cute plush but, to me, feels a bit uninspired. (Also, look at the neck, omg)

Now I actually do have the privilege of owning this plush myself. While I've forgotten the means to which I acquired such a plush over the years, I've come to appreciate its presence greatly. Yet, it still holds this stance on my list. I just don't understand what is going on here really. Like is it supposed to look like denim with the fur and overalls and thats the whole thing? Or were they just gettin creative? It just looks off is what I'm saying. The pink, grey, dark blue, yellow AND red plus the black if you count the eyes (which I do) all seem to be thrown in there with little care, nor thought. Just for pleasing kiddies and such the like. Again, not the worst but could use some work. (I think I would've changed the bow to yellow if we're being honest)

These are all from a large set of animal themed plushies and as an idea, would be adorable. But sadly, in presentation, are seemingly lacking such care. I mean, there like offbrand beanie babies. Look, you can even see stitch marks in the neck and body because of the fabric and low effort put into them. Come on. And let's be real here. How sweaty of a sweat shop to you need to get a forehead THAT SIZE? Their huge. Maybe in a cute way but still. I like the giraffe one though. The other two don't really have the charm a giraffe does.

Please just give this cat a break. She just needs one really. I would never burn any hello kitty plushy, never. What I would do is, send it back to the church, teach it the ways of god, bring it back, and then give her a bow and call it a day. But I don't even think god can save her though...she really needs some work... You know what this reminds me of;

I had one of these fat fucks when I was younger. My mother's friend bought it for me when I met her, it even had a pink collar and everything. And even then, I hated it. My mom's friend is like an aunt to me now, but this did not leave a great impression on me for later years. I'll just say that and leave it at that.

I just...Idk. Its fine. I..it's fine. I get what it's doing. But...It just...I don't like it.

On my current read through of Homestuck, I’ve finally been able to put into words some various thoughts on the nature of Carapacians. I’d like to delve a bit into their genetics, symbolism, and how they are a reflection on the stories themes. To begin, let’s talk about the species itself:

Every day when you turn on the TV or drive down the street, you see ads designed to sell you something. Most of us probably think nothing of these ads; you see the size zero half naked model, or an overly sexy commercial used to sell things that have nothing to do with sex like toothpaste, or the man with 6 pack abs who just happens to never have a shirt. And as a culture have become so sensitized to these ads that we don’t even notice how harmful they are, the ads we consume hundreds of times a day dictate the way we think, the way we act, the things we buy, the people were attracted to, and even how we feel about ourselves. It’s quite easy to see how these ads have negative consequences for everyday men and women who feel as if they don’t measure up to the people they see on TV, but what if you do look like the models you see on TV? Are you still negatively affected?

    In watching this 16 and Pregnant episode, it made me realize just how young these girls really are. I’ve watched 16 and Pregnant on and off since it first came on. My Mom finds it to be extremely trashy which after watching many episodes, I agree but at the same time, it’s a form of birth control. It’s a pretty ridiculous thing to say but it’s true. I see these girls having to drop out of school, losing their friends, and their boyfriends. Yes, having a baby is great and it’s one of the biggest blessings in life, but it’s also nicer if it happens later in life when you’re established.

    This particular episode of 16 and Pregnant was really interesting, because there was a lot going on throughout it. The fact that her sister has an abortion at the same time she discovered she was pregnant makes it even more controversial. It was a sad thing to see because that would obviously be something extremely difficult to handle from all angles. I brought up this point in class, but 16 and Pregnant never really acknowledges the thought of abortion. This is the first episode when they ever really prompted the idea and actually discussed abortion. MTV makes it seem as if the only options are ever adoption or keeping the baby.

    This also brings up the point of adoption. It’s interesting how adoption is outlandish in regards to this show. Realistically, I guess it wouldn’t make the show as interesting if the girls were all giving their babies up, but it’s also just a ploy by the network. If they showed girls giving their babies up for adoption, people would not be as interested in tuning into the show week after week.

    The other sad side of watching 16 and Pregnant is the dads in the show. Most of the time they leave at some point after the first few months baby is born, or they’re in and out constantly. The rare exceptions come about every now and then, but most of the time they’re a check every month and that’s about it. The dad in this show makes no strides to improve his life for his daughter and he just shows up every now and then to hold her for a few minutes…then he leaves. It’s extremely upsetting to watch, but at the same time, they’re high school boys. You can’t expect anything because they’re immature.

    All in all 16 and Pregnant is not the most educational show in the world, but it does make me realize I would never want their life. I want to have kids just as much as the next person, but I could never handle it now much less when I was 16. 

         Before this I’ve never actually read much about fandoms or even really known what they are. However, after our discussion and doing some research, it’s another world. I did research into Twilight fandoms and it was ridiculous. People uploaded pictures of themselves dressed as the characters, they wrote love letters to them, and some even took it as far as to write their own version of the beloved novels. Personally, I’m a huge Twilight buff. I’ve been to every movie premiere, I’ve read the books multiple times, I have a beautiful poster of Jacob Black in my room (even though I’m actually Team Edward), but I never knew just how intense people could be.

         It’s really crazy for me to think about people spending months or even years of their lives writing alternate endings to the book. Some fans even took it as far as to write entire chapters in their own alternate reality of the series. One of the most outrageous things I read was a story making Jasper and Edward gay together and they use Bella as a surrogate for their future child. It really showed me just how intense people could be. However, by far the craziest post I read had to do with sexual violence. I discussed this in class, but basically Bella was the daughter of 2 other evil vampires and she had a child by the man (her father). Edward’s mother saved Bella and the child and Edward became the tutor for the child, and eventually, he and Bella fell in love. I realize people really value the love story of Edward and Bella, but that’s just an extreme turn of events that I would not be okay with. It also made me realize that sexual violence in Twilight isn’t that far-fetched. Bella is a weak human among a group of immortal ‘Hulks.’ Edward has extreme power over her and at any time, he could kill her. I never really thought about it until reading the fan chapters.

         Although I find fandoms to be extreme and a bit of a waste of time, they are helpful in realizing certain points. Obviously I don’t think Stephanie Meyer set out to make Edward a crazed, controlling abuser, but it could be portrayed as such. He loves Bella more than anything in the world, which is why I believe fans completely miss the violence it could promote. There is a benefit to fandoms apparently. 50 Shades of Grey came out of a fandom and look at the havoc it has caused throughout the world. It has created a whole new category of super fans. I could go on for days discussing how much fandoms puzzle me and intrigue me, but I’d never get the bottom of it. Ultimately, I think people enjoy the escape it creates for them. It gives them the opportunity to live a life different from their realities. In this world, if it make people happy, why not?

         I think watching the Mis-Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl might have been the easiest homework I’ve ever done simply because the mini episodes got addicting. I watched almost the entire first season. It’s an easy thing to do because I feel like I relate to her awkwardness. Everyone does. That’s the appeal to the show. Everyone’s had that awkward moment walking down the hallway with one other person and it’s pretty inevitable that someone SHOULD say something. This web series is the perfect example of race and cyberspace because it’s a show all about an African American woman who also just happens to be awkward. Would people find it as funny if it were a White girl? The twitter Awkward White Girl exemplifies that people probably would. The show is one big stereotype. If a Black woman shaves her head, she looks like a boy. It makes it seem as if it’s impossible for them to be pretty anymore. Black people like to go out to eat at the local fried chicken establishments, not for sushi (that’s a White people thing).

         The Mis-Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl also proves to be an example of the disembodied voice because it grounds people in their identities as awkward individuals or African American individuals, but it also let’s them explore. If there’s a White, graceful person watching the show, it’s something new and fresh for them. However, if a Black person who has a full head of hair and is not awkward at all watches the show, it’s also something different for them. Mis-Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl is a prime example of using race as entertainment. Although I think people would still find the show funny if it were a White girl (MTV's Awkward is an example), it almost makes for better entertainment because she’s Black. Black people aren’t necessarily stereotyped to be awkward. It makes the show more interesting and unique.